Iwatsuki Castle[Castle Special Topic Japanese History]

[Castle name]
Iwatsuki Castle
Musashi’s famous castle Iwatsuki castle which was built by Ota Doukan and abandoned by Hojo.

[Explanation]
Iwatsuki Castle is a castle in Iwatsuki, Saitama district, Musashi province. It was also written as the rock in Edo period. It is a flat castle that used the plateau of Arakawa, and it was decorated with a rough terrain of a rare full-bell shape castle. In the Middle Ages, it was along the Kamakura Highway, middle way and Oshu Road, along the Nikko Onari main road in modern times.

It is currently designated as a historic site in Saitama Prefecture. It is said that it was built together with Edo Castle and Kawagoe Castle by Yasugi Uemasa Mochimoto and his vassals “Oota Doushin” and “Ota Doukan” son-in-law in Chouroku Era (1457).

※There is also the theory that Narita built a castle

Later, in the 7th year of Eishou (1509), “Shibue” who is under the control of Koga Kubou is said to have become the Lord of the castle of Iwatsuki. Early in the Sengoku Era, Kanto also entered into the warfare from the confrontation between Ougiya Uesugi and Uesugi Yamanouchi, then Oota Sukeyori took Iwatsuki Castle in Taiei Era 2nd year (1522), after this it becomes Ota’s castle of feudal lord.

After that, when Hojo Uji invades Musashi and embarks on Iwatsuki castle capture, while Houjou’s Uji Musashi rule becomes decisive in the Kawagoe Yorikusa 15th year (1546), Iwatsuki Castle resists it and started functioning under castle of the feudal lord Outa Sukemasa (Sanrakusai).

Eiroku Era 7th year (1564), During Shisei’s absence from home, legitimate child “Ota Ujisuke” responded to Hojo Ujiyasu and pursued expulsion of Shisei, and then Iwatsuki Castle became Houjou Uji’s castle. When Ota Ujisake was killed in Kazusa in Eiroku 10th year (1567), since Ujisake had no boys, Houjou Uji uses Iwatsuki castle as the imperial territory.

In the Tenshou 8th year (1580), Houjou Ujinao’s younger brother, Gengorou was appointed as the castle owner, and when Gengoro died early, his brother Ujifusa became the castle owner in the Tenshou 13th year (1585). During the 18th year of Tensho (1590) when Toyotomi Hideyoshi stopped the Odawara, and to conserve the Odawara castle, Ujifusa brought 2000 soldiers to Iwatsuki Castle under the command of Fusazane Date, However, about 20,000 soldiers led by Asano Nagamasa attacked them, they surrendered to a couple of days after sacrificing more than 1,000.

In the middle of the Edo period, Tokugawa Ieshige’s employee Tadamitsu Ooka (distant father of Otaoka Tadasuke) entered, the lord got fixed and it became the castle of Ooka until the Meiji’s abolition of feudal domains and establishment of prefectures. There was no Castle tower, but as a substitute of Castle tower watchtower, Inner citadel had a double tier roof tile tower, and the other shingled roof of the first floor was present in inner citadel as well as the double watchtower of the second-floor comb shaped watchtower.

The black gate and the back gate have been transferred to the castle ruins park and remain.
Currently it is Iwatsuki castle ruins park including Iwatsuki castle and its surroundings are maintained.